Council of Europe: Parliamentary Assembly

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) consists of a number of individual representatives from each member State, with a President elected each year from among them for a maximum period of three sessions. The balance of political parties within each national delegation must ensure a fair representation of the political parties or groups in their national parliaments. The Assembly can adopt three different types of texts: recommendations, resolutions and opinions. Recommendations contain proposals addressed to the Committee of Ministers, the implementation of which is within the competence of governments. Resolutions embody decisions by the Assembly on questions, which it is empowered to put into effect or expressions of view for, which it alone is responsible. The Assembly mostly expresses opinions on questions put to it by the Committee of Ministers, such as the admission of new member states to the Council of Europe, but also on draft conventions, the budget, the implementation of the Social Charter. Website: assembly.coe.int/